Khawaja Asif says Pakistan's US-Iran mediation moving towards 'positive outcome'

SIALKOT: Khawaja Asif on Saturday said Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran were gradually moving towards a “positive outcome," expressing optimism that regional peace efforts would soon yield results.

“We have slowly moved closer to a positive result in the US-Iran mediation,” the defence minister told reporters in Sialkot.

According to Asif, the recent visit of Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir to Iran, along with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, indicated that diplomatic efforts were nearing an important stage.

Field Marshal Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday as Pakistan intensified diplomatic engagement aimed at helping end the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran and promoting regional de-escalation.

During the visit, Munir and Mohsin Naqvi held meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to discuss mediation efforts and the broader regional situation.

Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic intermediary between Washington and Tehran following six weeks of fighting that erupted on February 28 after coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The conflict escalated after Tehran responded with retaliatory attacks on US military bases in the region and moved to close the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Hostilities were temporarily halted on April 8 following Pakistan-facilitated ceasefire efforts, which later paved the way for direct talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad on April 11 and 12.

Although the negotiations ended without a final settlement due to disagreements over Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes and the Hormuz blockade, Islamabad continued diplomatic engagement with both sides and played a role in extending the ceasefire arrangement.

Khawaja Asif said Pakistan was actively working to prevent a wider international crisis and voiced confidence that the country’s diplomatic initiatives would contribute to regional peace and stability.

Commenting on the domestic economic situation, the defence minister acknowledged that inflation continued to place significant pressure on ordinary citizens, particularly lower-income groups.

“We were in a recovery phase, but because of this war our economy has suffered badly,” he said, adding that economic recovery efforts had slowed and, in some sectors, reversed due to the regional conflict and its global economic fallout.